Mandatory Boil Water Advisory Issued For Multiple Oakland County Communities

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — The Great Lakes Water Authority issued a mandatory boil water advisory Monday night for numerous Oakland County communities after a water main break along 14 Mile Road between Drake and Farmington roads in Farmington Hills.

Commerce Township, Farmington Hills, Walled Lake, West Bloomfield Township and Wixom are among the communities affected. Novi, including the area bounded by 14 Mile on the north, Eight Mile on the south, Napier Road on the west and Haggerty on the east, Oakland Township, including the subdivisions of The Hills of Oakland and Kings Pointe, and Rochester Hills north of Hamlin and west of Livernois are also included in the mandatory boil water advisory.

The boil water notice will remain in effect until testing verifies the water is safe to drink, the Water Authority said in a news release. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Novi Patch, click here to find your local Michigan Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Whenever a water system loses pressure for any significant length of time, bacteria contamination may occur. The bacteria are generally not harmful. Corrective measures are currently being undertaken to correct the situation, the GLWA said in a news release.

People living in the affected areas should not drink water without boiling it first. Water should boil for at least one minute and then be left to cool. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water